Watchful eyes

Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) watches from his office as President Barack Obama introduces his Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, on Capitol Hill in Washington. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the former Harvard Law School dean would be the first justice to join the high court without prior judicial experience since William Rehnquist in 1972. Kagan was selected by Obama to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) watches from his office as President Barack Obama introduces his Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, on Capitol Hill in Washington. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the former Harvard Law School dean would be the first justice to join the high court without prior judicial experience since William Rehnquist in 1972. Kagan was selected by Obama to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.